Is Rockaway Beach, MO a Good Place to Live?
Rockaway Beach is a small town of 649 in Missouri, with a median household income of $52,813 and a 6.7% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 90 (US average = 100), which is 10% below the national average.
Strengths: Rockaway Beach stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include longer commutes, an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Rockaway Beach is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Rockaway Beach city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 89.8Rockaway Beach's overall cost of living index is 89.8, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Rockaway Beach costs roughly 10% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Rockaway Beach, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $110,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $765 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 73.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $52,813 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageRockaway Beach's violent crime rate is 250.3 per 100,000 residents — 34% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Rockaway Beach, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 22.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 88.7% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Rockaway Beach sees average highs of 47.5°F in January and 91.9°F in July, with 45.7 inches of annual precipitation and 6.8 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Rockaway Beach, MO |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 47.5°F |
| Average High — July | 91.9°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 45.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 6.8" |
Demographics
| Metric | Rockaway Beach, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 649 | — |
| Median Age | 55.4 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 6.7% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 31.6 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 91.4% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 7.1% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.4% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 11.6% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 27.3% | 16.8% |